Max Verstappen admitted Monday that his controversial collision with George Russell in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix was “not right and shouldn’t have happened.”
Verstappen, the four-time defending Formula 1 champion, stopped short of apologizing for the incident that earned him a 10-second penalty and dropped him to 10th place in Barcelona.
Late in the race, Verstappen initially objected to his Red Bull Racing team’s order to allow Mercedes’ Russell to swap positions after a tire change. After allowing Russell to pass, Verstappen accelerated heading into a turn and caused a collision.
Race stewards deemed Verstappen was entirely at fault, penalized him 10 seconds and also added three penalty points to his super license. The 27-year-old Dutch driver now has 11 points, one short of the maximum allowed in a 12-month period before warranting an automatic one-race suspension.
Russell agreed with the stewards’ decision, calling Verstappen’s move was “very deliberate.”
“It’s something that I’ve seen numerous times in sim racing and on iRacing. Never have I seen it in a Formula 1 race,” Russell told reporters post-race.
Verstappen, who crossed the finish line fifth prior to receiving the penalty, issued his comments on Monday on Instagram.
“Some moves after the safety car restart fueled my frustration, leading to a move that was not right and shouldn’t have happened,” he wrote. “I always give everything out there for the team and emotions can run high. You win some together, you lose some together. See you in Montreal (the next race).”
Oscar Piastri won Sunday’s race with McLaren teammate Lando Norris finishing second and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc third.
–Field Level Media
